Means for treating oil wells



1,623 890 Apnl 5 1927' B. w. SEYMOUR, SR

MEANS FOR TREATING OIL WELLS Filed Augl 28, 1926 grvuwnt BURTON w. 'SEYMOU sides.

Patented Apr. 5, 1927. r

* UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BURTON W. SEYMOUR, SR., OF JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK.

MEANS non TREATING OIL WELLS.

Application filed August 28, 1926. Serial No. 132,067.

ing parafline or other deleterious material in the oil bearing portion of the well.

It has been found that after a certain length of time the output of an oil well falls off, due to the gradual blocking of the passages through which the oil flows by the gradual formation of paraifine or other thickened products of petroleum.

Attempts have been made to correct this condition by the introduction of casings into the well containing a limited amount of water and heated billets onto which the water may fall. Such casings, however, are open to the objection that they must be withdrawn from the well within a short time to refill the water, reservoirand to reheat the billets.

The object of the present invention is to avoid these objectionsby omitting the easingaind water reservoir, and by providing a rod having a plate which will substantially close the well, and one or more heated billets supported below said plate, to which water is fed by means of ipes leading from said plate, the water eing supplied thereto by pouring it directly into the well, such a construction eliminating the necessity of withdrawing the device to replenish the water supply.

Another object of this invention is to provide an electrically heated device, by which the billet or billets and the water are kept hot,'-so that the creating of steam in the oil bearing chamber can continue without interruption until the parafline and other material is fully dissolved, leaving the oil passages clear and free.

A further object of this invention'is to rovide pipes by which the water can be ed to various portions of the billet or billets, which pipes will either be parallel to the billet'or billets having outlets at the ends, or be coiled around the billet or billets and have a plurality of openings along the Other objects of this invention reside in the details of construction as will appear from a consideration of the followingspecificat-ion taken in connection with the drawings which form a part thereof, and in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of one embodiment of-this invention, shown in position in an oil well;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the upper end of the steamer taken along the line 22 Figure 1 Fig. 3 is across section of the steamer taken along the line 33 of Figure 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of one modification of the steamer; and

Fig. 5 is a sideelevation of another modification of the steamer.

This invention is intended to be used in oil wells for creating steam in the oil hearing chamber of a well and is introduced therein through a drilled hole 11.

The device comprises a hollow rod or tube 12, which is adapted to support a billet 13 slipped over the rod, and fixed in place by a pin 14. passed. through the bottom of the rod 12 or any other suitable manner. Threaded upon or otherwise fixed on the rod 12 is a cupped plate or bowl 15, having a plurality of perforations 16 therein. The perforations 16 may be left free (Figure 1), or pipes 17 may be fastened to the underside of the plate 15, into which pipes the perforations 16 open. The pipes 17 extend adjacent the billet 13 and may be of various conformations. As shown in Figure 4, the pipes may be parallel to the rod 12, and vary in length, having outlets 18 at the ends inclined toward the wall of the billet 13.- Figure 5 shows the pipes 16 coiled around the billet, each pipe having one or more outlets 19 directed toward the wall of the billet 13. v

The plate is preferably of a diameter slightly less than that of the hole 11 and the pipes 16 and billets 13 are similarly formed. In the outer edge 20 of the plate 15 is formed an annular groove 21, in which are introduced one or more expansion rings 22.

.These rings substantially close the space betweenthe-plate 15 and the wall of the hole 11 for a purpose to be set forth below.

, The device is raised or lowered by means of a cable which is engaged in a loop 23, here shown asintegral with the plate 15, but obviously not necessarily so. As shown in Figure 1, the device is lowered into the too well until the billet 13 enters the oil bearing chamber 10 to be treated. The plate 15 remains in the hole 11, the rings 22 bearing a ainst the inner wall, thus closing the well a ove the chamber 10. Y

When the parts are so located, water is poured directly into the well and falls onto the plate 15, from-which it passes through the perforations 16, directly onto the billet 13, as in Figure'l, or into the pipes17, as In Figures 1 and 5, and thence through outlets 18 or 19, onto the heated billet 13. The

heat in the billet transforms the water into steam, which fills the chamber 10, and attacks the parafline or other matter, blocking the oil passages, causing it to melt and free the passages.

Within the rod 12 may be placed a heating element 24,shown in Figure 1 as comprisdown the space 31 between the rod 12 of the billet-13. A plurality of outlets 32 permit the steam formed in the space 30 to escape.

When the structure'shown in Figures 4 and 5 is employed, the outlets 32 may beomitted as unnecessary, since the steam passes directly from the outer surface of the billet or billets 13, into the chamber 10. The

heating element 24 may be omitted or not used, in which case, of course, it will be necessary to reheat the billet 13 from time to time.

In lace of the single billet 13 shown and descri ed, it is obvious that a plurality of billets could be used, and while certain embodiments have been shown and described, I am not limited thereto, since 'it is obvious that embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention as set forth in, the following claims.

Having thus set forth my invention what I claim as new and for which I desire pro- .tection by Letters Patent is signature.

1. Means for treating an oil well comprising a rod, adapted to support a heated billet, and a cupped plate on said rod above said billet, having perforations therethrough,

. said rod being hung in the well to be treated with the heated billet in the oil bearing portion, and said plate closing the well above said portion, whereby water poured into said wellwill pass through said perforations onto said heated billet and be transformed into steam.

2. Means for treating an oil wellcomprising a rod, adapted to support a heated billet, a cupped plate on said rod above said billet having perforations 'therethrough, pipes leading from said plate adjacent said billet and having outlets therein, said rod being hung in the well to-be treated with the heated billet in the oilbearing portion and said plate closing the well above said portion, whereby water poured into said well will pass through said pipes and outlets onto said heated billet, and be transformed into steam.

3. Means for treating an oil well comprising a hollow rod, adapted to support abillet, an electrically heated element carried by said rod adjacent said billet-for heating the same, a cupped plate on said rod above said billet having perforations therein, and

pipes in communication with said perfora-- tions leading from said plate to points adjacent said billet.

4. Means for treating an oil well, comprising a hollow rod adapted to support a billet, a cupped plate on said rod above said billet having perforations therethrough, and an electrically heatedelement carried by said rod, said rod being hung in the well to be treated with the heated billet in the oil bearing portion and said plate closing the well above said portion, whereby water poured into said well will pass through said.

perforations onto said billet and be transformed into steam.

In testimony whereof I have afli-xed my BURTON W. SEYMOUR, SR. 

